When it comes to your money you want to drive the bus. And why shouldn’t you want to be in control? This is the money that you work hard for each and every day and you should be the one who decides what is done with it – how you spend, how you save it, and ultimately what it will mean in terms of your present day cash flow and financial security. So when it comes to a structured settlement it’s not surprising that many people feel as though the decisions have been made for them.

The way in which structured settlements work is this: money is awarded to a claimant in a personal injury case. But instead of that money being paid out all at once it is deposited into an annuity and the money is then distributed to the recipient through equal and scheduled payments. The annuity is held by a third party and is not owned by the payment recipient. Meaning the recipient does not own the structured settlement as a whole. But they do own the payments.

Those who receive a structured settlement surely don’t scoff at the extra money that comes to them through payments. But they may feel as though it has been budgeted for them; even though the money was given to them. But there is a choice. Structured settlement recipients have the option to sell annuity payments and trade their payments in for cash all at once.

When you sell annuity payments you identify the number of payments that you want to sell and work with a buyer of structured settlement annuity who brokers the deal. The seller determines the amount of money they want and sells the number of annuity payments that accrues that amount. The buyer then gives the seller cash and then receives ownership of those payments to come. To sell annuity payments is to make a choice; and when it comes to our finances, choice is important.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Share This

Bills are something that all of us unfortunately have to deal with one way or another. But sometimes the bills just take over and we are left trying to dig out of a hole that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Debt is a big issue in this country and, right now, debt can literally sink a ship. So what are the options for getting out of debt and freeing up your cash flow? Unfortunately, short of earning more money (and who is doing that right now?) there aren’t many options available to most of us. Those who have a structured settlement, however, do in fact have an option – sell annuity payments.

A structured settlement is money that is awarded to a claimant in a personal injury case. The money is put into an annuity and then the recipient is sent equal payments on a scheduled basis. The structured settlement is not owned by the recipient however the payments that are made to them are theirs to do with what they want; and there is the option to sell annuity payments.

When you sell annuity payments you make a trade to a buyer of structured settlement annuity. The buyer will give you cash for the number of payments that you wish to sell them. In return, the buyer then becomes the owner of those payments and will receive them when they come due. The cash in the seller’s hand is one of the ways to maximize the use of structured settlement payments – a lump sum of money that they can use to make real financial headway in their lives including paying down or paying off debt which in turn frees up their cash flow and certainly releases them from spending significant amounts on interest payments. When you sell annuity payments you decide what is done with your money instead of simply choosing to accept payments as they come.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Share This

When you choose someone to handle your finances in one way or another you are making a big decision that can enormously impact your future. After all, you are relying upon the expertise provided by professionals in the business and you are counting on that advice to come from a reputable source and have your best interests at heart. When it comes time to sell annuity payments the professional who will help you along the way is a buyer of structured settlement annuity payments.

But how do you tell one buyer of structured settlement from another? Which buyer will give you the advice that you need – and the professional guidance that is required for such a transaction? When you sell annuity payments you are trading your future structured settlement annuity payments in exchange for cash. The buyer of structured settlement annuity payments gives the seller cash today for their future annuity payments; they then have ownership of those payments that come in the future.

When you look for a buyer of structured settlement there are certain things that you should look for to know that you are dealing with a reputable professional:

• Reputation, reputation, reputation. Before the Internet it may have been more difficult to ascertain the reputation of a company but today we are able to do an independent and comprehensive search about any company with which we are interested in working to determine what others in the industry are saying about them.

• Listen to what they say. When someone chooses to sell annuity payments their purpose is to get cash in their hand and the number of payments that they sell determines the amount of money that they receive. There is no need in most cases to sell the entirety of the structured settlement and a professional will give you all the options.

• Chemistry. When it comes to any type of relationship – including the one between a customer and a vendor – chemistry is always important. When choosing a buyer of structured settlement annuity, listen to your gut and you likely won’t go wrong.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Share This

In the last post I talked about how most everyone that we knew was struggling to make ends meet in this ever-declining economy. We – my husband and me – were actually making it okay as we were in relatively stable jobs where, even if we didn’t make a lot of money, we were essentially guaranteed to stay employed which was more than a lot of people could say. We also had a structured settlement payment that was coming to us each and every month from a court settlement in which I was awarded money.

But now we had decided to sell annuity payments in exchange for a lump sum of money and it wasn’t for us. My son had lost his job and he and his wife (with a new baby in tow) were ready to lose their home. We found out if we sold annuity payments we could exchange the right to receive those payments in the future for a lump sum of cash in the present day. This money would allow my son and his family to save their home from foreclosure and while we would sacrifice the ability to receive those payments in the years to come we would rest assured knowing that our son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild were safe and secure in their home while they looked for new jobs.

Who knows what the economy holds in the future? But for now I do know that the choice to sell annuity payments – for us – was the right decision. We worked with a reputable buyer of structured settlement annuity payments who helped us determine the number of payments that we needed to sell in order to come up with the amount of money that we ultimately wanted to have in hand. And with this cash we are making what we consider to be a sound investment in the future.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Share This

Right now everyone we know is going through hard times; there doesn’t seem to be a person who has not been affected by the economy – at least in our world. While my husband and I don’t make a lot of money by any means we are lucky enough to both have jobs in industries that have been little affected by the state of the economy. We won’t get rich in these jobs to be sure but we are pretty confident that we are secure in our positions. We also have a payment that is sent to us every month from a structured settlement annuity. Two years ago I was in a car accident; I was hit by a drunk driver and I was awarded money in the court settlement. The money was put into an annuity and I receive payments on a monthly basis. It has certainly been a big help for us as we try to keep up with our bills. But we also found out there is another option when it comes to using the money in our structured settlement annuity – the choice to sell annuity payments.

To be honest we hadn’t even considered doing that since we were making it okay and weren’t in need of a lump sum of money. But then our son got laid off from his job. With a wife and new baby that he was supporting things got bad very quickly. They couldn’t afford to make their house payments, his medical insurance was going to soon be on him to pay, and they were both pounding the pavement looking for jobs. While we didn’t have a lot in savings to offer them we did have the potential of helping them save their home from foreclosure by choosing to sell annuity payments in exchange for a lump sum of cash.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Share This

Trying to decide what to do with a structured settlement that we had had for two years was not easy. The money itself, in this form, came as a bit of a surprise – awarded as a part of a personal injury case in which we were involved. Although we were both hurt in the accident that resulted in this award, I just assumed that the money would come all at once or not at all. Instead we got a structured settlement which means the cash award was deposited into an annuity and then equal payments were sent to us from the annuity at the same time each month.

As anyone would agree, having extra money coming to you every month is nothing to scoff at and we certainly appreciated it in every way possible. But times are tough – we are in a recession and most of us have had to consider other options in keeping up our cash flow. The fact of the matter is that once cash flow is stifled nothing else really matters in terms of keeping up with bills, savings, and more.

Like everyone else we had some decisions to make. We were struggling with our business, we had to lay off employees, and cash flow was indeed becoming a problem. So we decided to sell annuity payments – to have that nest of cash that would keep things moving appropriately.

What really helped us during this time was the buyer of structured settlement annuity buyer that we chose. She and her company were amazing in offering us guidance in the most appropriate steps to take in order to sell annuity payments. She advised us on the number of payments that we should consider selling in order to help us most appropriately; and she led the way in a professional manner in helping us to make the most of our structured settlement.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Share This

In the last post I talked about the job opportunity that had come our way and the move that we had to make in order to take that job. While the salary and benefits were not something we could turn down (especially in this economy) the new position did not come with relocation assistance. We were, instead, relying on someone buying our home in a down market that was seeing very little action and decreased home prices by the day. While we eventually did sell our home, it was the choice to sell annuity payments from our structured settlement that allowed us to make it through all those months of being in limbo.

The structured settlement was given to us because of a personal injury case that was settled for a cash award. The money, deposited into an annuity, was sent to us in monthly payments which had always been nice. But in the situation in which we found ourselves it came in handy in another way entirely. The fact was that we had to move before our home was sold in order to accept the new position. So for quite some time we were managing both a mortgage payment and the rental fees and living expenses that came with moving and living in our new state. Plus, we knew that we were looking at getting a much lower price for our home than its actual market value.

The choice to sell annuity payments had us working with a buyer of structured settlement annuity. We determined how many payments we needed to sell to accumulate the money that we needed for living expenses and mortgage payments. The buyer then gave us the cash value for those payments up front in exchange for ownership of the payments when they come due in the future.

The decision to sell annuity payments helped us to bridge the gap between our old life and our new life and to be most financially responsible.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Share This

Any extra money right now is a complete blessing in our situation, but having a structured settlement turned out to be the best thing we could have had. In this, one of the slowest real estate markets on record, we have had to sell our home. There was no way around it; my husband got offered a job we could simply not turn down (especially with the job market being in a similarly lousy condition) but for which we would have to move to another state. Unfortunately, while this new job offered a great salary and terrific benefits it did not come with relocation services and so we had to rely upon ourselves – and the real estate agent that we chose – to get our home sold. The fact was that we couldn’t afford to carry two mortgages and it was unlikely that any lender would allow us to do so anyway. We had to sell our house.

We did eventually sell our home but it took a lot longer than we anticipated – even though our expectations were already low. We knew we were probably going to take a hit on the price of the house and we did but it was getting out from under it that was the important thing. Still, it took some time which meant that we were strapped with a mortgage and rental expenses in our new state as we tried to get settled in our new life as best as we could. Without the structured settlement that we had I’m not sure what we would have done. This money came to us because of a personal injury lawsuit and the money that was awarded as a result. The money was held in an annuity and we received a check every month from that annuity.

But during our housing crisis, we decided to sell annuity payments so we could have the cash on hand that we needed to pay for living expenses and even put a down payment on a house when the time came – especially since the proceeds from the home we were selling would be far less than they would be in a better market. More in the next post…

Popularity: 18% [?]

Share This

In the last post I talked about what we had witness happen all around us to friends and family – the loss of jobs, savings accounts, investments, even homes. And before we knew it we found ourselves in the same position – out of work in our fifties with a mortgage and two kids in college. We were treading water for a lot of the time, living off severance packages which we were lucky to get and savings accounts which we were lucky to have. We were also lucky to have a structured settlement that was the result of an unlucky accident but for which I had been awarded money to be paid out of an annuity on a monthly basis.

Back in the day, those payments were extra money but during this time they had become absolutely essential. Eventually we found out that we could do more with our payments than just collect them every month. We could sell annuity payments and get a lump sum of cash that would allow us to pay down some of our debt and, more importantly, have liquid cash at our disposal during a time when everything around us seems so unstable.

To that end we worked with a buyer of structured settlement annuity payments who handled the transaction and helped us sell annuity payments – future payments in exchange for today’s cash value. The buyer now has the right to receive those future payments that we sold them and in exchange we got the cash value today – using it as a lump sum of money to pay off credit cards, our car, and most importantly, put away for if we should really need it.

This has given me the peace of mind to continue looking for another job knowing that I have this safety net of money behind me and hoping for blue skies ahead.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Share This

There doesn’t seem to be much that doesn’t feel like an emergency right now when it comes to finances. Things got so bad so quickly and before we knew it we were watching our friends losing jobs, pensions, savings accounts, and not long after that it was us. We found ourselves – with two kids in college, no less – facing unemployment, a dwindling and ultra competitive job market up against people half our age earning half as much, and limited prospects for protecting our savings, let alone our home. It went from scary to downright terrifying in a matter of months.

We were lucky in a lot of ways because we had more than many people who were in our situation. We had a lot of equity in our home, we had nearly perfect credit, we had a savings account (it may have disappeared quickly but at least it existed at all), and we didn’t lose as much in the market as a lot of our peers. But the most important thing that set us apart in terms of how fortunate we are is the fact that we have a structured settlement.

They were unlucky circumstances that led us to have the structured settlement but in the end it saved us. Because of an accident that I was involved in, I had been given money as a part of the court settlement. That money was put into an annuity and I got payments from it every month. In the beginning of our crisis that payment was like water in a desert. But we soon learned that we could do far more with our structured settlement than just live off the payments; we could sell annuity payments and have a substantial liquid nest egg at our disposal to help us through this difficult time.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Share This